You may have read today that Queen Elizabeth II granted Alan Turing a formal pardon "on Monday for his conviction in 1952 on charges of homosexuality, at the time a criminal offense in Britain." This isn't the first time we've looked into Turning here at DWT. Several years ago, Blue America invited Alan Grayson to speak at the Brave New Films studio in Culver City. For many of the attendees, myself included, that was the first introduction to the 20th century's greatest mathematician, Alan Turing. You can watch the 4-minute Turing part of the chat above. A couple of years before Grayson's stirring talk, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown penned an OpEd in The Telegraph apologizing for the British government having driven Turing-- one of the most important heroes of World War II-- to suicide because of his homosexuality. "Turing," wrote the Prime Minister, "was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of the Second World War could have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely… It is thanks to men and women who were totally committed to fighting fascism, people like Alan Turing, that the horrors of the Holocaust and of total war are part of Europe's history and not Europe's present. So on behalf of the British government, and all those who live freely thanks to Alan's work, I am very proud to say: we're sorry. You deserved so much better."
Last July the British government finally announced that Turing would be granted a posthumous pardon. With the backing of David Cameron, Liberal Democrat peer Lord Sharkey introduced a bill explaining that "As I think everybody knows, he was convicted in 1952 of gross indecency and sentenced to chemical castration. He committed suicide two years later. The government know that Turing was a hero and a very great man. They acknowledge that he was cruelly treated. They must have seen the esteem in which he is held here and around the world." And Monday it became official:
The pardon was announced by the British justice secretary, Chris Grayling, who had made the request to the queen. Mr. Grayling said in a statement that Mr. Turing, whose most remarkable achievement was helping to develop the machines and algorithms that unscrambled the supposedly impenetrable Enigma code used by the Germans in World War II, “deserves to be remembered and recognized for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science.”If you haven't seen it already, watch the Grayson clip above. It puts it in a seamless context that's important for Americans too think about. Merry Christmas.
The British prime minister, David Cameron, said in a statement: “His action saved countless lives. He also left a remarkable national legacy through his substantial scientific achievements, often being referred to as the ‘father of modern computing.’”
…The queen has the power to issue a “royal prerogative of mercy” to pardon civilians, but rarely does so. Mr. Grayling said that Mr. Turing’s sentence would today be considered “unjust and discriminatory.”
